


Unexpected Blind Date

by xo_stardust720



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Natasha is a hottie, Skinny!Steve, Slow Burn, blind dates, did i mention there's lots of fluff?, skinny!Steve scores a hot date
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-07-21 21:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7405705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_stardust720/pseuds/xo_stardust720
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which, skinny Steve Rogers scores a hot date.</p><p>(Accidentally).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which, skinny Steve Rogers scores a hot date. (Accidentally).

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** “Your friend set you up on a blind date and I happened to be eating alone so you thought you were meeting me and you were cute, so I went along with it. But you just got a text from said friend that they’re sorry your date stood you up and now I have some explaining to do.” 
> 
>  
> 
> Found this prompt somewhere on tumblr and couldn't get the idea out of my mind. 
> 
> This is the result.

\--

 

Steve had no idea how he ended up in this situation.

One minute, he was minding his own business and was in the process of deciding what to order for his meal, and the next, a flustered redhead had rushed up to him and proceeded to sit down across from him offering apologies at being late for dinner. It was unexpected, to say the least.

Scratch that, it was downright unbelievable.

Shit like this does not happen to Steve Rogers very often.

(Actually, try _never)._

And Steve couldn’t even formulate the words to tell her that she was mistaken, that he could not possibly be the person she thought she was meeting, because when he looked up from his menu he was instantly dumbfounded, stunned by how breathtakingly beautiful she was. The words he was going to say to her died in his throat and all he could do was stare.

Because seriously, shit like this _does not happen to Steve Rogers._

“ –I don’t usually agree to blind dates,” she was saying as he watched her fumbling around with her coat, taking it off and hanging it haphazardly on the back of her chair. “And Maria insisted that I come even though she told me next to _nothing_ about you, but none of that is enough to excuse being late so I’m very sorry about that, I got caught up at work.” She leaned back into her chair as she settled and stared at him waiting for his response.

Steve blinked. “Oh, um… it’s alright?”

He could feel her studying him with her calculating gaze and he resisted the urge to fidget. After a moment, she smiled and leaned forward, placing her arms onto the table. “So, what’s your name? I’m afraid I never got any details from Maria other than  _I swear to god, he's nice_.”

This was it. This was his chance to set the record straight. He had to tell her that he didn’t know her friend Maria. That this was some misunderstanding and he was just some random dude that happened to be sitting alone and eating dinner after he had gotten off work. He wasn’t the person she was suppose to meet. He needed to come clean before this situation got any worse.

Steve hesitated, his mind quickly running through the possible scenarios in which his situation could possibly end up.

_I should tell her the truth. It's the right thing to do._

But…

_Well…_

It _was_ a Friday night. And it wasn’t like he had any plans for after dinner. He was just going to go home and work on his art. And it was kind of depressing to be eating alone at a restaurant on a Friday night. And he couldn’t deny that the woman in front of him was _gorgeous_. Completely out of Steve’s league. There was no way a woman like her would even give Steve a second glance in any other capacity. It couldn’t hurt just to go along with the predicament he found himself in… right?

_Right?_

“Steve Rogers. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” he held out his hand.

Never let it be said that Steve Rogers wasn’t self-destructive (aka: _awkwardly pathetic_ ) when it came to being in the presence of a pretty dame.

“Natasha Romanoff,” she smiled, reaching forward to shake his hand. Leaning back, she reached for the menu that had been sitting in front of her. “So, I’ve never been to this café before. Have you? Anything you would recommend?”

“Actually, I come here all the time. The rotisserie chicken or the prime rib with rosemary jus are some of my favorites,” he told her, the tips of his ears going red when she looked over her menu at him and smiled. “But everything they make here is delicious, I haven’t gone wrong yet.”

Surprisingly, from there the conversation flowed between the two of them. It was by far the most successful blind date (actually, make that the most successful date _period_ ) that Steve had ever been on – and it was one that he hadn’t anticipated nor prepared for. He felt slightly bad that he was deceiving Natasha by pretending to be her supposed date, but couldn’t exactly bring himself to regret it either. He hadn’t expected to like her as much as he did. She just had that effect!  The fact that she was incredibly beautiful was only the icing on the cake. Natasha had opinions and spoke her mind, which indicated that she was also very intelligent. She had a wicked sense of humor, one that was dry and sarcastic, that he found refreshing.

Steve had always found it hard to talk to women, especially one of Natasha’s caliber. He was shy and introverted, and slightly socially awkward but had a mouth that got him into more trouble than it should. And he knew how he looked and how most of the time it turned women off of him in favor of men that were bigger and stronger. Being small and skinny did not garner the attentions of the opposite sex very often, and Steve was always being overlooked. His best friend Bucky, was forever trying to set him up with different women, and it always ended the same way: looks of horror being sent his way and with them making excuses to leave as soon as they could.

The very fact that Natasha was still sitting at the dinner table with him was one for the record books, in his opinion. At the very least, she didn’t look disgusted by the way he looked, nor did she give him any “sudden” reasons for needing to leave. He found it so easy to converse with her, and it looked like Natasha was enjoying herself, so he didn’t feel too guilty.

After all, everything he was telling her about himself was true. It was just the little minor detail under which they met that was just inaccurate.

 

_________________________

 

“I got beat up all the time when I was younger,” Steve recalled as Natasha laughed and took a sip of her wine. “In alley ways, parking lots. Even got beat up behind this diner once.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Did you have something against running away?”

Steve shrugged. “I don’t like bullies. I don’t care what the situation is. If I see something pointed south, I have to step in.”

“That’s very courageous of you. Not everyone has the guts to do that. Most people would probably keep walking if they spotted trouble.”

“Courageous or stupid?” he asked her.

She laughed. “Maybe a bit of both, but why is that a bad thing?”

 

_________________________

 

“I’m a dancer,” she told him as she took a bite of her steak. “Ballet. At the moment I perform three times a week with the New York City Orchestra. The company I work for is doing _A Midsummer’s Night Dream._ I play the lead role Titania.”

“That sounds amazing! I’ve never been to a ballet performance before,” he paused. “Maybe I could come and watch you perform sometime?” he asked shyly.

The smile she gave him was one of delight. “I’d really like that, Steve.”

 

_________________________

 

"I like listening to pop music," he admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up.

Natasha stared at him and then let out a giggle. "You don't look like the kind of guy that would listen to Taylor Swift."

" _I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22... everything will be alright, if you keep me next to you_ ," Steve randomly burst out into song, surprising both himself and the woman in front of him.

" _You don't know about me, but I'll bet you want to... everything will be alright, if we just keep dancing like we're 22... ooh-ooh_ ," she sang along with him.

Steve laughed. "Well, that part's true. I definitely want to get to know you better."

Natasha smirked at him. "Likewise, Steve. Likewise."

 

_________________________

 

Steve let out a satisfied sigh as he placed his fork down onto his empty plate and wiped his mouth with his napkin. Dinner was beginning to wind down as they finished their meals and he was slightly dreading the fact that the evening was about to come to an end. He’d never felt so at ease sitting there with someone he barely knew and he found that he didn’t want it to be over just yet.

“Did you enjoy your dinner?” he asked, watching as she drained the last of her wine.

“I did. This whole evening has been lovely Steve,” she licked her lips, and settled back into her chair.

“Um, so…” he trailed off, feeling his face heat up as she turned her attention back on to him. He swallowed. “Um, would you like to go get some dessert somewhere? Maybe ice cream? And it’s a nice night out… we could take a walk along the Brooklyn Bridge if you’d like. I mean, you don’t have too. I don’t know if you have any plans after.”

Time seemed to slow down as Natasha tilted her head and stared at him for what felt like an eternity but in actuality, was only a minute. Then she smiled, grinning from ear to ear, and Steve felt his heart thump wildly in his chest when she nodded. He couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Yes, getting ice cream and going for a walk sounds really nice.”

He paid for the bill and when they stood up from their table, he found that Natasha was barely a head shorter than him as she stepped up to him. He felt momentarily insecure, unable to believe that someone so beautiful would be willing to be seen with him. But when she took his arm, linking them together as they walked out of the restaurant, he felt hope bloom into his heart that maybe… just maybe this could be the start of something special.

There was a comfortable silence as they walked along the pathways of the Brooklyn Bridge, watching as cars and other vehicles drove past them below. It was a warm summer evening; the sun hadn’t yet set as they moved at a slow pace. In all honestly, Steve had begun to hope for a second date and was contemplating the best way to go about asking Natasha for one. He wanted to see her again.

“So, you grew up in Brooklyn?” Natasha asked as they strolled along, licking delicately at her ice cream cone. Steve watched her for a moment, enticed by the way her tongue darted in and out in between her lips.

He swallowed and then tore his eyes away, going about his own rapidly melting treat. “I did. Lived here all of my life actually.”

“Must be nice, to be able to stay in one spot,” she commented wistfully. “My career has taken me all over the place, but before that my family was always traveling; always constantly on the go. I grew up in the world of dance, practically lived on stage sets my entire life. My mother was a ballet dancer too. I guess you could say my love of dance was influenced by watching her.”

“Getting to see the world must have been amazing though,” Steve remarked.

“Oh, no doubt,” Natasha assured him. “But it also gets lonely. The older I get, the more I find myself wanting to stay in one spot. This is the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place.”

“Here in NYC?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Been here for a little over a year now. New York is starting to feel like home.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he smiled. "Do you think you'll stay here?"

She smirked at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. That maybe a second date was possible, that maybe she was as interested in him as he was in her.  "It'll depend on what my situation is when my contract runs out, so we'll see."

As they neared the end of the bridge, Steve heard a slight buzzing vibration that sounded like it was coming from Natasha’s purse. “Is that your phone?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Natasha sighed, suddenly looking sheepish. “To be honest, I had no idea how this date was going to go… so… I kind of… arranged for one of my friends to do one of those ‘ _pretend to call me with an emergency situation, so I can get out of here_ ’ type of phone call," she hesitated, seeing the expression on his face. "I’m so sorry! I’m having a really great time, I _swear_. If it's any consolation, I'm so glad I stayed! I would've seriously missed out, Steve.”   

“Oh,” Steve paused, unsure of how process what she told him. “Well, I’m really glad you stayed.”

She grinned at him. “Me too.”

He heard her phone buzzing again. “Maybe you should get that?”

“Yeah, I felt my phone ringing a couple times through dinner,” she shook her head and reached into her purse as they stopped and moved to the edge of the walkway to let other people step past them. She pulled out her phone, and her eyes widened as she stared at the screen. “ _Holy shit!_ 23 missed calls?! I hope it’s not actually an emergency.” She tapped at her screen and held her cellphone to her ear. “What happened?” she spoke into it without bothering to say hello to the person at the other end. “Twenty-three missed calls is a bit much, don’t you think?”

There was a long pause.

_"What are you talking about?"_

Another pause.

(It was another really, _really_ long pause).

And then -

“ _WHAT?!”_

Steve stood by, feeling slightly awkward as Natasha spoke to her friend. He could hear bits and pieces of the other person’s voice but couldn’t make out what they were saying. He sincerely hoped that it wasn't truly an emergency, and that no one was actually hurt. It certainly didn't sound like a very pleasant conversation. An uneasy feeling was starting to creep up on him.

“I’ll call you back,” Natasha said, and then she hung up her phone. She turned to face him.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Her eyes narrowed. “You tell me. That was my friend Maria calling to apologize for the fact that my date stood me up. Apparently, I was supposed to have met with a Bruce Banner tonight. Care to explain?”

Steve felt the blood drain from his face. He’d been found out.

Well shit.

\--


	2. In which, Natasha discovers the truth about her blind date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a crazy two weeks since I've published this story. The response to this has been so overwhelming! Thank you so much for all your comments and kudos - you have no idea how happy they made me as I was reading them. 
> 
> I wanted to take a moment to address the nameless Stony shipper that has been going around and leaving rude comments to a lot of the Romanogers fanfics here on this site. My stories had received a few of these comments and honestly, it kind of took away some of the inspiration I had for writing. Writing fanfics is new for me, I'm not the best writer out there and I don't presume that I'm good but the hate I was getting was completely discouraging. At the time, I thought I had been the only one getting flamed and as it turns out, I wasn't. I just wanted to thank all of the Romanogers writers that have reached out to me on tumblr and here on ao3 - thank you so much! You have no idea what it meant for me to see all the wonderful support in this fandom. And because of it, I feel like I really became part of the romanogers community instead of just being a spectator. And because of all this support, I got my inspiration back! I will continue to write Romanogrs loudly and proudly. Thank you :)
> 
> \--

After the disaster that was her relationship with one Alexei Shostakov, Natasha had decided to take a long break from the dating game. As in, she no longer wanted to put up with all the bullshit that came with relationships – the constant disappointments, the emotional roller coaster of feelings that came with it. She and Alexei argued. _All the time_. Honestly, dating a fellow dancer, a fellow co-worker… well, there were more downs than ups with Alexei and when the relationship was over, she had breathed a sigh of relief and moved on with her life. It had been difficult though… continuing to work with Alexei post-relationship was awkward at best, and a nightmare at the worst.

Dancing was her life through and through. But with her love of dance came disadvantages. If she wanted a career in ballet (which she did; she conquered and succeeded, thank you very much) she had to live her life on the road. In the beginning it had been exciting - the crowd, the applause, the praise… she lived for it. She loved being on tour and exploring new cities, new places and meeting new people every few weeks. Along with this kind of lifestyle, came invitations to prestigious parties, glamourous events, and being able to mingle with the rich and famous. But as time wore on, Natasha found herself wanting more and more to be able to stay in one place. She found herself changing.

And when the NYC Ballet Company offered a place within their ranks, she saw no disadvantages. She’d accepted a contract and moved to the City that Never Sleeps and hadn’t looked back since.

In moving to New York, she found exactly what she craved, and found herself flourishing in ways that she hadn’t expected. Her career move with the NYC Ballet Company was one of the best decisions she’d ever made. She still got to perform three times a week, dancing to music by one of the best orchestras she’d ever had the pleasure of listening to. She had an apartment that she went home to every night. Having an apartment meant that she could buy things that she liked – art for her walls, books to line her shelves, and shoes for her ever growing collection… the list of possibilities seemed endless.

_But…_

Natasha found that being based in NYC came with a whole new set of problems that she hadn’t earlier anticipated. Once she had a routine established with work, she found that she had entirely too much time on her hands. At first, it’d been amazing. She filled her days with books that she could finally get around to reading, and TV shows and movies to watch. But then it became boring. For most of her life, she had lived a solitary nature. Her parents had long since passed away, and she didn’t have any siblings. Her closest friend was her manager, and Clint Barton lived a few states over with his wife and kids. She kept in touch with the Bartons through emails, phone calls, and skype but it wasn’t the same as having human interaction. She found that she needed _some form_ of human interaction.

And so, Natasha decided to join a gym that was located two blocks from where her apartment building was.

This is where she met Maria Hill. Maria, who was a god send for her lonely existence, quickly became one of Natasha’s favorite people to be around. The woman had a no nonsense attitude, was often straight to the point, and seemed to recognize that Natasha needed her horizons broadened. With the brunette’s presence in her life, came a whole new set of characters that she enjoyed being around. Maria worked in Human Resources for Stark Industries and was naturally a _people-person_. She wasn’t a gossip, but knew personal details of the people who worked for the company.

When Maria first mentioned setting her up on a blind date with a colleague of hers, Natasha’s first instinct was to refuse. Vehemently.

And this was how Natasha found herself in the predicament that she was in.

(“Come on, Natasha!” Maria pleaded. “I swear to God, he’s nice!”

“No.”

“You haven’t been on one date since you moved here; time to get back in the saddle! Forget about what’s-his- face.”

“Maria,” she sighed, blowing a strand of red hair out of her face. “I’m totally over Alexei. But I don’t want to date anyone. I especially don’t want to go on a date with a _stranger._ ”

“You need to get out of your comfort zone. I promise you, this guy isn’t some random freak, okay? I wouldn’t do that to you! He’s really sweet, and he also needs to get out more. This is me, doing the both of you, a favor.”

Natasha stayed silent.

“You know I’m not going to stop bugging you about this until you say yes. It’s _one_ date. It’s not like I’m asking you to up and marry the guy.”

Natasha stared at Maria. The brunette stared right back, unfazed by Natasha’s glare of death.

“Fine,” she huffed. “I’ll think about it.”

Maria cheered, knowing she'd won. “Make sure you’re free this Friday!”)

And so, Natasha begrudgingly agreed to be set up on the condition that she could leave anytime she wanted if it turned out to be a disaster. For her part, Maria agreed to be the “sudden emergency situation” excuse if she needed it. It was stupid and lame, but Natasha felt that she needed something in her corner, a back-up plan. She hadn’t been on a date in so long and now that she’d agreed to go out, she felt incredibly anxious about it.

As the days passed by and Friday evening came closer and closer, the more she dreaded her upcoming date. It was completely out of her element, but she had to admit that Maria may have had a point… she _did_ need to get out of her comfort zone. And when Friday night came, she couldn’t deny that it felt nice getting ready, slipping into a casual-yet-simple dress and putting on her make-up.

She’ll never admit it out loud to Maria, but she’s more than a little curious about her mystery blind date. And a little excited. _Just a little._

(“But how will I know who to look for if you don’t tell me his name?” Natasha asked, exasperated. “What does he look like? Give me _some_ details.”

“It’s a _blind_ date,” Maria replied. “Trust me, it’ll be obvious. He’s a really nice guy. Shy. And he’s cute! Doesn’t get out too often, and it shows. Just look for a guy sitting alone.”

"Ugh, he better not be crazy."

"He's not. Look, he's probably not the kind of guy you usually go for and don't let it turn you off when you see him. Just keep an open mind, okay?"

Uncertainty filled her. “If you say so…”)

From the first moment she saw Steve Rogers, she felt her interest being peeked.  She walked into the restaurant filled with anxiety and nervousness, but the second her eyes landed on the blonde guy sitting alone at the dinner table, she felt it all melt away. He’d been the only one sitting alone in a restaurant filled with people and instantly, she knew he was the guy Maria had wanted for her to meet. She stood there, watching him as he perused his menu intently, and she realized that the way he was going about it, his actions indicated that he wasn’t expecting her to show up. As if he’d been stood up before, and stood up often.

It was this thought that had her moving forward, and she strode up to him with purpose. The deer-in-headlights expression that he gave her when she sat down across from him spoke volumes and confirmed her suspicions; that no, he truly hadn’t expected her to show up. She stared at him for a moment, taking in the little details of the guy in front of her. What was it that Maria had said? _Doesn’t get out too often._ Well, the actions of the man in front of her indicated that.

 _Sitting alone?_ Check.

 _Sweet?_ Well, he certainly looks sweet enough.

 _Shy?_ Most definitely. She could tell that about him right away.

He had floppy blonde hair that fell over his eyes and he was dressed in a casual t-shirt and jeans. It was definitely the right attire for the atmosphere of the restaurant they were eating in and Natasha felt a bit overdressed but the way Steve looked at her throughout dinner, well, her insecurities faded away and she felt beautiful.

To her surprise, she ended up having a wonderful time as she sat there and talked with him. As she ate, she could feel her phone vibrating through her purse as it dangled on the arm of her chair behind her. It was Maria calling to be her ‘excuse’ and she was calling over and over, but she was having too good of a time and just ignored it.

Steve wasn’t normally the type of guy she would date, but there was just something about him that attracted her to him. Most of the guys she had dated in the past were big, burly types. And they were also assholes. Steve was a novelty. She learned that he was an artist, illustrating children’s books and graphic novels for a living. He was incredibly sweet, and to her surprise, funny as well. She found herself laughing genuinely throughout dinner and she was incredibly glad that Maria had convinced her to take a chance. And he was a complete gentleman. Holding the door open, and tucking in her chair for her when she stood. Shyly asking if she wanted to go for a walk, but making it clear that it was entirely her choice whether she wanted to go or not. Natasha wasn’t used to such consideration – how he treated her was the complete opposite of how Alexei use to treat her. She was utterly charmed by Steve. She liked him and wanted to see him again.

Which is why there were no words to explain the feelings coursing through her when she picked up her cellphone, only to hear Maria’s voice at the other end apologizing profusely.

_“Natasha, I’m so, so, so sorry about Bruce! If I thought he was actually going to stand you up tonight, I would’ve never tried to set you up with him! I swear to god; I’m going to kill him. He promised to be open-minded about the whole blind date…”_

Confusion filled her. “What are you talking about?”

_“Uh… Bruce Banner? Your blind date? He’s dead to me, Nat. He’s on my shit-list. I can’t believe he would have the audacity to stand you up. God, I even showed him your picture… he knows how hot you are! And he stood you up? What an idiot! I can’t believe it. You’re too good for him! I’m gonna punch him in the face the next time I see him…”_

Natasha was having a hard time breathing. A white-hot feeling filled her and she could hear the sounds of blood rushing through her ear. Time seemed to slow down and she gripped her phone a bit tighter. “What?”

 _“Natasha… what’s going on?”_ Now it was Maria’s turn to sound confused. “ _I’ve been trying to call you for a couple of hours now. When you didn’t pick up your phone, I just thought you were really mad at me because I’ve spent so long convincing you to do this and then you got stood up… are you okay? Did something happen?”_

“I’ll call you back.” She hung up her phone and turned to face Steve, her heart pounding. The beginnings of anger were beginning to course through her. Was this some kind of joke? Was he playing her?

Steve smiled at her. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Her heart thudded painfully, and she had no idea why she was feeling so angry. She felt… almost betrayed. She stared at him. “You tell me. That was my friend Maria calling to apologize for the fact that my date stood me up. Apparently, I was supposed to have met with a Bruce Banner tonight. Care to explain?”

She watched as Steve’s face turned white. He began fidgeting. “Um… uh… well, I –” He ran a hand through his floppy blonde hair and swallowed. “I… um…”

She stared at him impatiently. “Well?” She winced inwardly, not letting it show on her face. Even her voice sounded cold to her ears. “Why did you lie?”

Steve flinched reflexively when he heard her speak and tried not to wither under her glare of death. “I’m sorry! It’s just that when you walked up… well, I didn’t know how to tell you that I wasn’t who you were meeting… I was just stunned by your beauty? Ah, that sounds like a pick-up line… and it sounds really bad but -”

Bit by bit, Natasha could slowly feel her anger melting away. She kept her face passive though, because seeing Steve so flustered was actually really cute. He looked like he was feeling incredibly guilty about lying to her but at the same time; she could tell that he was genuinely sorry about it. Whatever this misunderstanding was, she could tell for sure that Steve was not playing some kind of prank on her. He was too much of a terrible liar for that.

“-I know I should’ve told you the truth right away but I figured… why the hell not? I mean, it sucks eating alone at a restaurant… and when you sat down, well… I just didn’t want you to get up and walk away.”

“So let me get this straight, I sit down across from you and think you’re the guy I’m supposed to be on a date with, and you just… went with it? Why would you do that? Why not just tell me the truth?”

“Not a lot of women are willing to go out with me, you know.” Steve shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry for lyin’ about how we met, but everything else I told you tonight about me was true. And can you blame me? You’re beautiful. Anyone in my position would do the same.”

Their gazes connected and she felt a shudder run through her at the earnest look he was giving her. Beautiful. He’d called her beautiful. Natasha couldn’t remember the last time anyone called her that… “hot” and “sexy” were often used to describe her, but never just _beautiful_.

“Besides,” he added, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile. “Anyone that stands you up has got to be a complete idiot. He missed out. I had a great time with you.”

Damnit. She wanted to continue being mad at him, but she couldn’t, what with him looking so adorably sorry. He was being completely sincere with his apology too. She felt her anger completely fade away the longer she looked at him. What was it that he’d said? _Not a lot of women are willing to go out with me, you know._ Her eyes took him in, the way he stood indicated a quiet acceptance that he thought she was going to drop him like a hot potato. Evidently, this had happened to him before and he thought it was going to happen again. Well, that just won’t do.

And if she stopped to think about it, it was a pretty funny situation. Steve saved her from the embarrassment of being stood up. Not to mention, she knew she would’ve been incredibly embarrassed if he had told her the truth right away. She probably would’ve made some excuse and fled. Which would’ve been a damn shame because she agreed with him; she had a great time with him too. And there was no denying that there was some sort of chemistry between them. She held his gaze and stepped up to him, smiling as she did so. A quiet giggle escaped her as she moved closer. He looked visibly surprised at her reaction, and ran a hand through his hair, unsure of how to react.

“You’re something else, Rogers,” she told him. She moved into his personal space, close enough to feel his body heat radiating off him and grabbed the lapels of his coat, pulling his face down towards her. She kissed him with vigor, matching her lips to his. Steve let out an “oh!” with surprise and then his arms were encircling her waist and everything faded away as they melted into the kiss. Pulling back, Natasha grinned at him.

Steve was blushing and she enjoyed the way he was looking at her. “You’re…uh, you’re not mad?” He asked. His arms were still around her waist and he licked his lips.

She let out a laugh. “Oh, I’m plenty annoyed,” she told him as she patted him on the shoulder. “You should’ve told me the truth right away but…” she stared up into his eyes and shrugged. “If you hadn’t done what you did, I would’ve gone home and just yelled at Maria and probably spend the evening sulking on the couch and watching Netflix. Instead, I got to go on one of the best dates I’ve had in awhile.”

He smiled. “This was probably the best date I’ve had _ever_.”

“Well, now you can take me out on an actual official first date,” she winked as his eyes widened at the prospect of taking her out again. “Tonight doesn’t count.”

“I can do that,” he paused. “I can definitely do that.”

“Good,” she said. And then pulled him back towards her for another kiss.


	3. In which, Steve's friends are (supportive) assholes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story took on a different turn than what I originally planned... but I'm happy with it all the same. It feels like I tried something new! So hopefully you all like it too :) 
> 
>  
> 
> \--

“I’m so proud of you, Stevie!”

Steve let out an “oomph!” as Bucky’s arm landed on his shoulder and gave him a congratulatory shake. He rolled his eyes and shoved his best friend off of him, shaking his head all the while. They were hanging out at Bucky’s apartment, and killing time, as they typically did every Saturday morning. Steve had just finished telling his friends what had happened to him the night before. His friends were supportive, they really were.

They were also assholes.

“Months of me trying to find you a woman, wasted,” Bucky grumbled good-naturedly. “When all you had to do, was go and steal someone else’s blind date. Only you, Steve. Only you.”

“You know, I’m surprised she didn’t slap you silly when she found out you’d lied to her,” Sam remarked from where he stood in the kitchen, flipping pancakes at the stove. “Did she drink lots of wine to keep herself all mellow?”

“To be honest, me too,” Steve replied. “And shut up, Sam. I did not drive her to drink. She’s cool.”

“What I can’t believe, is that you managed to get a second date,” Bucky added. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Maybe she was drunk,” Sam suggested. “Why else would she be the one to suggest the second date?”

“Whose got a second date?”

Darcy Lewis, sauntered into the kitchen yawning as she sleepily made her way to them. It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning, and she still looked like she wanted to go back to bed. “Hey doll,” Bucky grinned, kissing her on the forehead. Bucky and Darcy had been dating for forever, and they’d finally moved in together a few months ago. Since then, they had made it their personal objective to find another couple to double date with… which meant that they were often on a mission to get Steve a date… Which normally ended in disaster.

Actually, it always ended with the woman being disappointed with what he looked like, and him never hearing from them again.

Steve had gotten used to it.

“Steve’s got a second date,” Bucky announced to his girlfriend.

Darcy’s eyes widened and whirled around Bucky to stare at him. “Really?” she squealed. She looked wide awake now, the excitement evident on her face. “What happened? How’d you meet her?” She turned back to Bucky and bopped him on the shoulder. “Why am I only just hearing about this right now?”

“Steve just told us this an hour ago!” Bucky protested.

“He stole someone’s blind date,” Sam snorted with laughter. He dished up a plate of pancakes, handing them towards Darcy, who accepted them with a smile. She grabbed a fork and dug into her breakfast.

“You stole someone’s date?” she asked. “This sounds like a great story already.”

“No!” Steve protested. “Well, sorta. I was eating alone and she showed up and thought I was her date. I just… didn’t correct her. But it didn’t matter because her original date stood her up without her knowing!”

“Oh my god, that’s the cutest story!” Darcy gushed. “Tell me more! What’s she like? What does she do?”

“She’s a dancer,” he supplied.

“Dancer?” Sam asked. “Like stripping?” He waggled his eyebrows gleefully. Sam was clearly kidding, but Steve threw his balled up paper napkin at him anyway.

“No, you asshole!”

“Sam, shut up,” Darcy said impatiently. “I wanna hear more about Steve’s date!”

“Is that any way to talk to someone who made you breakfast?” Sam responded. “Man, I don’t even live here.”

“So, she’s a dancer, Steve?” the brunette prompted, ignoring Sam completely. “What’s her name?”

“She does ballet,” the blonde nodded. “Her name is Natasha.”

“ _Wait_ ,” Darcy stared at him with wide eyes. “Are you telling me you went on a date with _Natasha Romanoff_ last night? _The Natasha Romanoff?_ ”

Steve stopped short. “Yeah, that’s her last name. Do you know her?”

“ _Dude_!” Darcy abandoned her pancakes and went to retrieve her laptop. “She’s like, world famous! Jane and I went to see _A Midsummer’s Night Dream_ a couple of months ago. She’s phenomenal!” She typed a few strokes on her keyboard and turned her laptop to face him. On the screen, was a picture of Natasha in full costume, striking a pose and her arms positioned high in the air and one leg behind her in a mid-motion spin. It was a stunning picture, and Steve’s breath caught at the sight of it.

“Yeah, that’s her,” he nodded. He swallowed. “I didn’t know she was famous.”

“Well, she’s not in the ‘Hollywood Celebrity Famous’ sense. So if you passed her on the street you probably wouldn’t recognize her like you would some celebrities but she’s a very accomplished dancer,” Darcy turned her laptop back around and began typing again. “She’s notorious in the dance world. Her most well-known role was Odette in _Swan Lake_ , but before that, she was performing in _Cinderella_ , _Giselle_ , and _The Nutcracker_. She had all the lead roles in those ballets too.”

“Wow,” Bucky leaned over Darcy’s shoulder and then looked up at Steve approvingly. “She’s a stunner.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Are you going to talk like that with your girlfriend sitting right next to you?”

“Pffft, I agree with him!” Darcy grinned. “If I were into chicks, I would totally bang her. I say this with confidence because seriously, _damn Steve._ You’re going out with Natasha Romanoff!”

“Definitely a ten,” Sam commented from Darcy’s other side. He held up his fist. “Way to go, man. Bump me.”

Steve ignored it.

“Hey, who is that guy in that picture with her there?” Bucky suddenly pointed to the screen, where Darcy was still typing and clicking away. Evidently, they were still googling Natasha. Nosy jerks.

He couldn’t help it. Curiosity got the better of him and Steve reluctantly joined his friends where they were crowding around the laptop. What he saw made his heart drop. It was a picture of Natasha standing with a tall and handsome man, with a muscular build and wide smiles on both their faces. Dressed in formal wear, Natasha looked dazzling in her pink floral gown and his breath caught at how stunning she looked. Whoever that guy was in the picture, they made an incredible looking couple.

He should have known it was too good to be true. Who was he kidding? He didn’t belong in her world. It was all right there in front of him… proof that he and Natasha could never work, that they were two mismatched people accidently thrown together for a night because she had made a mistake in thinking he was her date. How could he ever compare?

“Hmm, looks like he’s her ex-boyfriend,” Darcy read, clicking on the link. “This is from two years ago.”

The room fell silent as they read the article.

**\---**

**Natasha Romanoff & Alexei Shostakov split after five years together!**

_Natasha Romanoff & Alexei Shostakov split after five years together, Dance World Magazine can confirm. The couple, who met when they were paired together to perform Swan Lake, ended their relationship earlier this month. “She was really crushed,” an insider says, adding that the couple drifted apart because they both wanted different things. Rumors ran rampant that Shostakov’s jealousy over Romanoff’s rapid-fire career was the reason for the break-up. _

_“She’s obviously more popular and well-liked, and she’s being offered roles left and right. Alexei is so jealous. He hates being known as ‘Mr. Natasha Romanoff’ and is trying to break away from it,” the source affirms. “It’s not Natasha’s fault.”_

_Other sources insist that it was Natasha’s desire to settle down and start a family that drew them apart. “Alexei just wants to party all the time. The ladies love him, and he enjoys flirting with them. Sometimes he’ll flirt with hot girls right in front of her, and Natasha will storm off because she’s upset. He makes her cry a lot.”_

_We, at Dance World Magazine, have reached out to both parties, but Romanoff and Shostakov were unavailable for comment._

 

_\---_

 

“Well, he sure looks like a douche,” Darcy remarked, leaning back into her chair. She reached over and grabbed her plate and resumed eating her breakfast.

“How can you tell?” Sam asked. “They’re just standing there, smiling.”

“You just can!” Darcy insisted, as she pointed at the photo with her fork. “Look at the way he’s standing there with his arm around her shoulders like she’s his property or something.”

“What am I doing?” Steve suddenly asked. “I can never compete with that guy! He’s everything that women would want!”

“Steve,” Bucky shook his head. “Don’t let thoughts like that take over. It’ll just screw you over before things even begin.”

“Come on, Steve,” Darcy shifted and moved over to where he was sitting. She sat down on the stool next to him and patted his shoulder. “That guy is a past relationship and its obviously over. Has been for a long time. We all have those. Even you!”

“Yeah, she’s right. Every relationship is different, and brings different things to the table,” Sam added. “You can’t go around thinking that you’re going to compete with some guy from her past, because what you said is true… you can’t compete with that. You shouldn't even try. You need to forge your own relationship with her.”

“But he’s so… good looking, and tall!” Steve objected. “What could she want with me?”

“Is this you trying to fish for compliments?” Darcy rolled her eyes. “You’re cute, you know. Things could be worse. Look, its no secret that your looks aren’t exactly _conventional_ but that’s what makes you who you are! You need to embrace your looks Steve, and be more confident in yourself. If you don’t find yourself worthy, how can someone else?”

“She’s right, Steve,” Bucky nodded. “Most people are shallow. And I know a lot of the girls we set you up with were jerks, but all it takes is one person to see past that. Sometimes you gotta go through a few fish in the ocean to get to the mermaid.”

“That was the worst metaphor ever, Barnes,” Sam wrinkled his nose. Bucky flipped him off in response.

“Anyway,” Darcy continued, ignoring the other two. She focused on Steve. “There’s no denying that Natasha is gorgeous and has a lot going for her. And she’s obviously a confident woman. But you know what else she is? _SMART!_ And you know the reason why? _BECAUSE SHE WANTED A SECOND DATE WITH YOU!_ Who was the one that suggested the second date?”

“She did…” Steve trailed off.

“See? Exactly! Now stop getting down on yourself, its pissing me off. Natasha is a big girl, and if she wants to go out on a date with you, she gets to decide that for herself. Which she did. And she’s going out with you. So go with it,” she finished passionately.

“Don’t forget, she was the one that totally made the first move in kissing you,” Sam added.

“I’m liking her more and more, the more I hear about her,” Darcy cheered. “Now here’s what you’re going to do… you’re going to text her. Immediately.”

“They only went out last night. Isn’t that a bit soon?” Bucky asked. “You’re supposed to wait at least three days before contacting them for another date. I did that.”

“And you’re lucky that I still wanted to go out with you,” Darcy told him. “Steve, how much do you like this girl?”

“A lot,” Steve answered.

“Then do not listen to Bucky,” she advised. “Text her. Let her know that you’re thinking about her. Women like that. Believe me.”

\--

Later that afternoon, Steve sat on the couch getting ready to take Darcy's advice, his cellphone in his hands. He stared at his screen, at Natasha’s number and tapped open the message button. His heart was pounding with nervousness, and it was stupid because he was literally staring at the _message button._ This was getting ridiculous.

_Come on, Steve. She can’t respond if you don’t start the conversation._

He took a deep breath.

_Hi._

It was a full two minutes before she responded and when he heard his phone chime, his heart leapt to his throat and he snatched his phone up eagerly.

**Hello stranger :) didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.**

_Hope it’s okay that I’m texting you._

**Of course! How’s your day going?**

_Pretty good. Had breakfast with my friends this morning. You?_

**Been a busy day so far. But it’s a good one. Woke up in the best mood.**

_Any particular reason why?_

**Why, you of course ;)**

_:D_

_Really?_

**You’re definitely the reason for my smile this morning.**

Steve bit his lip, and let out a breath. He couldn’t stop grinning as he read Natasha’s latest text message over and over. His fingers tapped furiously on his phone. _I told my friends about you this morning._

**All good things, I hope.**

_Definitely. I’d like to see you again. Soon. When are you free?_

**Tuesday night. I have a performance in the afternoon, but it’ll be done by 5pm.**

_Can I come pick you up at the theatre?_

**How would you feel about coming to see my performance? You did say you wanted to see me dance…**

_YES. I definitely want to see you dance._

**Wonderful! :D**

**I’ll leave a ticket for you at the door, just show them your ID.**

_I can’t wait Natasha. I’m excited to see you :)_

**Likewise, Steve. Likewise.**

**\--**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--
> 
> I've enabled the comment moderation guys. So if you leave a comment, know that I appreciate it so much! As always, I love hearing what you think, even if it's criticisim (please let it be constructive though). What I cannot tolerate is pure negativity and being bullied. So if you're going to leave a flame, it'll just be deleted and ignored. 
> 
> Have a good day! :)


	4. In which, Natasha makes a new friend and endures girl talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is going to be one of those slow going kind of fics. I promise to have more Romanogers interaction in the next chapter!

\---

Natasha was standing in line at Starbucks, minding her own business and answering her emails on her phone, when she suddenly noticed the palpable awkwardness in the air. She looked up, observing the couple that was in front of her chatting away and making small talk as they waited for their turn to order coffee, and from the looks of it, she guessed that they were on a date.

It didn't sound like it was going well.

Natasha couldn’t help it, she began to listen in.

Evidently, they were on their first date. From behind, Natasha watched as the girl was becoming more and more uncomfortable as the guy began asking her questions that she obviously wasn’t comfortable answering. The guy seemed completely oblivious to her discomfort as he continued to talk obnoxiously.

“So, how come you joined Tinder?”

“Oh, well,” the girl sounded flustered. She had an accent that peaked Natasha’s interest and she wondered where the girl was from. “I’ve been living in NYC for a year. I thought Tinder would be a good way to meet people and find some friends. How about you? Why did you join Tinder?”

The guy shrugged. “Honestly, I just joined Tinder because I wanted to have sex with a lot of girls, and I thought this would be the easiest way to achieve that. Hey, you wanna get out of here and go back to my place?”

The girl turned to the guy, a look of disbelief on her face. She blinked.

Natasha blinked.

The guy stood there seemingly unable to understand why the girl was looking at him the way she was. “What?” Natasha had to hand it to the guy. At least he was upfront about his intentions.

The girl shook her head. “Yeah, I don’t think this is going to work out.”

“Your loss,” the guy shrugged and stalked off, leaving the girl just standing there.

“Next!” The barista at the counter called out, and the girl stepped up to place her order but before she could pay for it, Natasha called out her coffee order too.

“Her coffee is on me today,” she told the barista and handed her credit card over.  “Here’s to dodging a bullet.”

The girl smiled at Natasha gratefully. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Figured you could use a pick me up,” Natasha told her, smiling. “Besides, we’ve all been there. Sometimes men really suck.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “I am never using Tinder again. I can’t believe I shaved my legs for this.”

Natasha laughed. “I feel you, honey.” She held out her hand. “I’m Natasha. Natasha Romanoff.”

“Wanda Maximoff.”

“It’s nice to meet you Wanda. And you know, if you’re looking for new friends to hang out with, you’ve got one right here.”

She and Wanda hung out at the coffee shop for another hour, and Natasha found that she enjoyed the young girl’s company immensely. Wanda was an international student and had moved to New York from Sokovia to study abroad. She was currently double majoring in computer science and psychology, and was looking to expand her social life. Hence, her joining Tinder.

In the end, they exchanged numbers with the intention of hanging out in the future. The girl was looking for some friends and was funny as hell, and Natasha felt that she could use some new friends herself. It was a win-win situation really.

Life was looking up.

\---

“I’m so sorry, Nat.”

“It’s fine.”

“No really. I’m so, _so_ sorry!”

“For the last time, Maria,” she sighed. “I told you, it’s _fine_.”

“Your tone of voice would suggest otherwise.”

Natasha let out another sigh, as she continued to go at the punching bag in front of her. She and Maria had met up for their usual workout and the brunette hadn’t stopped apologizing since they began. They’d been at it for almost an hour now and Maria would bring it up every few minutes or so.  She straightened, blowing a strand of hair out of her face and wiped the sweat off her forehead with her left arm. “Maybe it’s because you’re becoming _really_ annoying. It’s fine Maria. I forgive you, okay?” The redhead smiled at her friend. “Maybe next time you make sure that a guy is actually interested in going out with me before you try to set anything up.”

“Ugh.” Maria rolled her eyes and let out a huff. “I still can’t believe Bruce didn’t even have the decency to call and tell me he stood you up. You know how I found out? I was about to leave work, and I passed by and saw him still working away in his lab. Apparently he forgot. What a _tool_.”

“I’m sure he’s a nice guy,” She shrugged. “Oh well. It’s not like I lost anything.”

“True that! The man is married to his work. If he can’t leave the lab for someone who is as hot as you, he wouldn’t leave it for anyone. I don’t know why I thought it could work between you guys.”

“About that,” Natasha began pulling off her boxing gloves and putting away the equipment. “I have a bone to pick with you. Why did he get to see a picture of me, when you told me _nothing_ about him?  I showed up to the restaurant with no idea what the guy looked like, let alone know his name! Seriously unfair, don’t you think?”

The brunette shrugged. “It was harder to convince Bruce to go on the date, I thought he needed a little incentive,” Maria paused. “Which failed on my part, obviously.”

“Matchmaking is definitely not your forte,” Natasha told her.

There was a moment of silence as the two headed towards the locker room and began packing up their workout gear. “You know,” Maria said after a moment, eyeing the redhead beside her. “You’re being entirely too cool about this. When you didn’t answer your phone, I seriously thought you were mad at me and was freezing me out. And I wouldn’t have blamed you for it. If this happened to me, I would be livid. I mean, no one likes to be stood up on a blind date. I feel like you forgave me too easily.”  

The memory of her shared kiss with Steve came to mind and Natasha tried to keep her cool but couldn’t stop the beginnings of a smile from popping up on her face. Maria caught it though, and her cool blue eyes widened with realization.

“Oh my god, something happened to you on Friday night! Something good! That’s why you’re not mad. What happened? Tell meeeee.”

She laughed. “Let’s go get some food and I’ll tell you all about it.”  

\---

“Shut up!”

“No, it’s true.”

“Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!”

This was probably the most undignified Natasha had ever seen Maria be. Maria, who was normally calm and collected, was positively squealing and hanging onto every word that the redhead was telling her. She looked completely excited, clapping her hands together in delight. Natasha smiled and let out a happy laugh. “Trust me, I was just as shocked as you.”

“Well, no wonder you weren’t answering your phone!” Maria exclaimed, as she took a bite of her sandwich. They were seated outside a sandwich deli that was located just across the street from Natasha’s apartment building. It was a beautiful day and both were enjoying some much needed girl talk. “You didn’t even know you were being stood up! What are the chances of something like this happening? I take it that you had a good time?”

“I did,” Natasha nodded. “Steve was just something else. He apologized for deceiving me and I could tell he was very genuine about it. I had a lot of fun though, so I can’t bring myself to get too worked up over it.”

“That’s good! Sounds like you got lucky,” the brunette commented. “Not all blind dates end up like that, you know. Are you going to see him again?”

She couldn’t help it. She beamed. “Yes,” she told her. “We have plans for tomorrow night, in fact.”

After their kiss on the Brooklyn Bridge, Steve had shyly asked for her number before walking her back to her car. It was an entirely new feeling for the redhead, the jittery but excited feeling that overcame her whenever she thought of the blonde. And to her surprise, Steve texted her the next day asking when she was free to go out again. She always thought that guys had some sort of three-days rule before contacting anyone but once again, found herself utterly charmed by his actions. In the days following, she and Steve corresponded regularly and she often found herself laughing at the odd things he would text her.

“I’m almost jealous,” Maria said. “But I’m actually really happy for you. You know what this means right? He’s probably your soulmate. The forces of the universe are at play here, and fate brought you two together.”

Nat snorted. She couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I wouldn’t go that far,” she laughed. “I think he just happened to be in the right place at the right time, I made the mistake of thinking he was my date, and we just happen to hit it off.”

“If you say so,” the brunette shrugged. “What are your plans for tomorrow night?”

“He’s coming to watch me perform, and then he’s taking me out to dinner. It’s a re-do of our first date.”

“He’s already coming to watch you perform? Nat, that’s huge!” Maria exclaimed. “God, when I met you, it was months before you invited me to come watch you dance!”

Natasha shrugged. “It’s nothing personal. Sometimes people find ballet boring, you know? Besides, Steve is an artist… so I figured he has an appreciation for the arts in a different way from other people and he mentioned that he wanted to see me dance, so I thought it would be convenient if he just came and met up with me there.”

Maria harrumphed. “I’m so jealous. It sounds like this guy is a real winner.”

She thought back to this morning, when she witnessed Wanda’s disaster date gone wrong, and thought about how lucky she was to have had her first date with Steve go so great. She ginned. “Yeah,” she nodded.

“I’m so proud of you,” her friend told her. “I’m so glad you’re taking a chance and putting yourself out there. Hey, let me know if Steve has a hot friend, yeah? I wouldn’t mind going on a blind date myself.”

She laughed. “I’ll let you know.”

 

\---

 

Before Natasha knew it, it was Tuesday and she was in her dressing room getting ready. She was in her full costume, her hair pulled into an elegant bun and slight curls spilling out. She took a look in the mirror and smiled, pleased with how she looked. Okay, so maybe she had primped a little extra for this performance because she knew Steve was coming. She wanted to impress him, alright? That wasn’t a crime. She glanced at the clock, she still had a little time before she was due to perform on stage.

Her phone beeped and she picked it up from where it was on her dresser. It was a text message from Steve, and she felt her smile widened into a grin. The fluttery happy feelings that have been bubbling up ever since she had met him, were back. She couldn’t recall ever feeling like this before… not even when she had first started dating Alexei. She was smitten.

_Hi :) I just got here. Do you have time to see me before the show?  
_

She let out a giggle, and her heart fluttered with excitement. Giggled. She actually giggled. She wasn’t the type of girl that giggled but she supposed Steve just brought out that side in her. She quickly called the show security to let them know that she had a visitor, before texting him back.

**Of course! I’ll buzz security to let you in.**

Minutes later, there was a knock on her door and her heart leapt to her throat. She quickly opened the door and grinned when she saw Steve standing there with a bouquet of daisies, and her mood brightened even more. “Hi Steve.” She quickly ushered him inside her dressing room and shut the door.

He blushed and shyly handed her the flowers. “Hi, you look nice,” he paused. “Um, beautiful actually.”

She kissed his cheek. “Thank you. And thank you for the flowers, you’re so sweet! Hopefully, you’ll like the show. Ever seen ballet before?”

He shook his head. “I’m looking forward to it.” He paused, as if he had something to tell her. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. “Um, so I feel like I should warn you… my friends are also here tonight.”

“Really?” 

“Apparently, Darcy is a really big fan of yours… uh, when she heard that I was coming to your show tonight, she went and bought tickets for her and my best friend. They probably want to meet you afterwards.”

Natasha smiled. “That’s really sweet. I would love to meet your friends.”

“Really?” Steve looked relieved. “Because if I know Darcy, she and Bucky might actually crash our date tonight... they’re kind of… a lot. And well… I mean, we’re still getting to know each other, so I wasn’t sure if you would be okay with them joining us. I can tell them to get lost though.”

Natasha was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to feel at the news. But as she looked at Steve, at his earnest expression, making sure that she was comfortable with the idea of meeting his friends… well, she really couldn’t say no to that, could she? And everything she had learned about Steve so far, she found that she really liked. His friends were probably no exception. She looked up at him. “It’s fine Steve, but you know…” she smiled slyly. “You know this won’t count right? You’ll still owe me a proper first date.”

He laughed and her heart warmed at the sound. “I promise; I’ll make it happen.”

 

\---

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated! :)


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